Howard Street will be the scene of some special hauntings for a fundraiser on Monday, Oct. 31. Photo: C. Leinbach
Residents of Howard Street will host a Haunted Howard Street fundraiser Halloween tonight (Oct. 31).
The residents have been musing on ways to smooth out the potholes on this iconic Ocracoke road, considered the historic section of the village.
While it is much beloved and photographed, it is a private, unpaved road. The numerous potholes can wreak havoc on vehicles.
The street also is rife with legends. So, the residents have been working on creating a spooky experience for young and old.
Participants will be given “tours” of the street populated with several scary vignettes, said Katy Mitchell, who is organizing the evening with Jen Kidwell and several Howard Street neighbors.
Mitchell said the tours for small children will be less scary and will be from 6:30 to 7:30.
Then from 7:30 to 9:30 will be “full on fright night,” Mitchell said.
Admission will be $5 for children under 12 and $10 for adults and tours will begin at the entrance to Howard Street on School Road.
Proceeds from admission will go toward road repair.
The Howard Street sentinel. Photo: C. Leinbach
Spooky decorations along Howard Street. Photo: C. Leinbach
Residents along Lighthouse Road are gearing up for trick-or-treat night Monday, Oct. 31. Photo: C. Leinbach
Another display along Lighthouse Road, the traditional, though not exclusive, road where island children trick-or-treat. Photo: C. Leinbach
Festive pumpkins along Silver Lake Drive. Photo: C. Leinbach
Brooke German creates a soundscape for sound meditation. Photo by Grace West
By Grace West
On Ocracoke Island, fall and winter is a time to slow down for locals who have worked their tails off during the summer months.
Many opportunities exist in the off season to enjoy nature and learn more about the island, attend a variety of yoga classes, music venues and other activities.
New this fall is an opportunity to experience sound meditation at the Little Rituals shop in Spencer’s Market.
What is sound meditation?
As our very fast pace of life increases, so does stress and the need to find stress relief. Meditation is a stress reliever and works to help train your mind to focus on a particular object, thought or activity that in turn brings mental clarity and relaxation.
During a sound meditation session, a practitioner uses instruments that provide tones rather than melodies to help bring you into a meditative state of wellbeing. These tonal instruments can include gongs, drums, singing and crystal bowls, chimes and even the human voice.
Sound meditation is sometimes called “sound bath” because the vibrations of sound surround you and can lead to a feeling of being held.
Recipients of sound meditation often say they feel like they are floating during a session. Sound meditation is a way to slow down, get back in touch with your body and experience deep relaxation.
There is research showing that sound meditation lowers both blood pressure and heart rate which results in a shift in brain waves to a state of deep relaxation which then lowers anxiety, depression, and even physical pain. (soundmeditation.com; himalayanacademyofsound.com; vibrationalsoundassociation.com).
When sound meditation originated and how exactly it works is unknown.
The roots of using sound therapeutically date back to the ancient cultures of China, Tibet, Egypt and Australia.
What can you expect?
Brooke German, sound meditation practitioner, has a gathering space: a quiet place set up with mats and bolsters to sit or lie down on.
German is a musician and plays cello in her Brooke and Nick Americana folk duo.
Her inspiration comes from Alexander Tannous (soundmeditation.com) and through workshops and study with the founder of the Academy of Sound: Yogi Bahnu.
Experimentally, German explains she has gained a lot of knowledge from her immersion in numerous sound meditations while living in Asheville.
Her love of and being attuned to the power of sound informs her choices about when to play specific instruments and when to allow for silence.
After an hour, German’s voice leads you gently back into the present.
I left basking in a spacious awareness of my body and surroundings.
As I gazed up into the starlit night sky, it seemed only too apt to see a shooting star and feel the wonder of nature and this small island where so many talented people share their gifts.
I highly recommend both the small group sound mediation and the one-on-one sound massage which German offers.
Pre-registration is required for Sound Meditation from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. To sign up, visit the Little Rituals shop, or call 757-275-6897 or email littlerituals.islandapothecary@gmail.com; $35 visitors, $25 locals.
The Nov. 6 mid-term election will be here soon, but early voting begins this week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday (Oct. 27 and 28) in the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department.
Early voting times for mainland Hyde will be from now to Nov. 5 in the Hyde County Public Safety building. Hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 5, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
As you will see in the sample ballots here, several seats have candidates who are unopposed. This includes representation in the North Carolina General Assembly.
In the newly redrawn political boundary lines for the N.C. House, Ocracoke finds itself in House District 79 where Keith Kidwell (R-Chocowinity), the incumbent, is unopposed.
State Senate District 1 also has just one candidate, Norman W. Sanderson (R-Pamlico). He beat our former senator, Bob Steinburg in the Republican primary.
So, these two will be our state representatives as no Democrats are running for these important seats.
The Hyde County board of Commissioners Currituck Landing seat does not have a name on the ballot since no one met the deadline to be listed. M. Shannon Swindell is the current commissioner. He met the requirements to be a write-in candidate and is the only one who did. So, just one write in with his name on the ballot will ensure that he will win this election.
The Observer asked some of the local candidates in contested elections to present their views and we are publishing the answers.
We also asked Sen. Sanderson and Rep. Kidwell to introduce themselves to their new constituents, but they have not responded. Here are links to their Ballotpedia profiles:
The North Carolina Board of Elections sent a printed Judicial Voter Guide for this election to Ocracoke post office box holders. It shows the various candidates for N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. courts of appeals candidates. If you no longer have that booklet, it is in the “upcoming election” section of the North Carolina State Board of Elections website. You can view it in PDF form here.
Candidates’ responses/statements below are presented in alphabetical order.
Hyde County commissioner candidates
What is the biggest issue facing Hyde County?
Eyleen Gibbs Brooks Democrat candidate for Hyde County commissioner, Swan Quarter: I was born and raised in Hyde County and have always called it home. My husband is Gregory Brooks, and my daughter is Summer Cahoon. This is my family’s home. Anyone that knows me will tell you I am outspoken. I say what is on my mind, and I am a fighter for what I believe is right. I am not a politician, and you won’t see me out “politicking,” as my grandma would say.
Everyone keeps asking me, “Why are you running for County Commissioner?”
Eyleen and Gregory Brooks
Well, the best answer is this. Hyde County is my home and the home of all the people I love. I look at my home county and see things not heading in a direction that will make me proud to tell people that Hyde County is my home and I believe most of the citizens of Hyde County feel the same way.
I want the people of Hyde County to feel that the Hyde County Board of Commissioners are representing them and that they can come to the board with their needs and voice those needs and views on the direction their county is going, and they will be listened to.
I am not delusional. I know as one person I cannot change everything going on in Hyde County, but I can make the Hyde County Board of Commissioners more accessible to the citizens of Hyde County. I can make the citizens aware of things going on in Hyde County, and I can make Hyde County’s citizens voices heard.
For those that don’t know me, I speak my mind and I stand up for what I think is right and I will tell you right now that listening. The citizens of Hyde County are, in effect, the employers of the Hyde County Board of Commissioners and If elected to represent the citizens of Hyde County on the Board of Commissioners I will listen to what the citizens of Hyde County want for their home county and I will fight with all I have to make their voices heard and do whatever I have to do to make Hyde County a place we can all be proud to call our home.
Jan Cabe Moore, Republican candidate for Hyde County commissioner, Swan Quarter: Fiscal responsibility and overall management. We cannot continue to operate under the “rob Peter to pay Paul” mindset.
Jan Cabe Moore
Often, those in control have no real working concept of how programs or funding that comes with strings attached operate.
We have just witnessed how with the recent school funding situation that not understanding and/or accepting that when the state is involved certain things are “just how it has to be” that produces, in the long run, a financial nightmare for all concerned.
I have worked in state and county government for 37 years plus five with a federal jobs program. I understand government programs, formulas and budgets which will assist me in future decision making.
This county will not prosper if we don’t figure out a way to have a better control of our finances; keep our young people here and gainfully employed; provide affordable housing; make sure our waterways are kept open and maintained regularly; give our citizens the services they deserve for the taxes they pay; and continue exploration of affordable wireless broadband.
Three candidates are running for Hyde County Board of Education
What are the biggest issues facing Hyde County Schools?
Aleta Cox, incumbent, Republican: Education is my passion. I came to Hyde County in 1975 as a reading teacher. I have taught grades two through five, written grants and was a director of programs. After 38 years with the Hyde County School System, I decided it was time to retire.
Aleta Cox
I had many people encourage me to run for the Board of Education after I retired, with the statement, “We need someone on the board that has been in the classroom.” After much thought I decided to run. I have been on the board for the past eight years. It has truly been a learning experience and very rewarding working for our teachers and students. They are the main and most important reason that I am running again.
Together the board works tirelessly to make sure our teachers have what they need to teach our students. It is a privilege being a part of helping to provide services for our students so they will have a well-rounded education and be able to make decisions about their futures.
I do feel I still have more to contribute as a member of the Hyde County Board of Education. I will always strive to do what is best for the students of Hyde County. I appreciate all the support I have received over the years from the classroom to now.
Lindsey Mooney, incumbent, Democrat: Several issues are facing Hyde County Schools.
Lindsey Mooney
1. is the completion of Ocracoke School in a timely manner and making sure there is funding to complete the project.
2. Is the construction of a new school bus garage for our district.
3. Filling teaching positions with qualified teachers to further our children’s education.
4. Support our new superintendent as she grows our schools and enhance community involvement.
I plan to continue to listen to parents, staff and students to bring their concerns before the BOE and make the best decisions in the interest of our children’s future.
Robert Wayne, unaffiliated: A current issue is the drop in enrollment. The reduction in the student body both enhances issues with loss of funding (dollars per student) but makes extracurricular activities such as sports more difficult for our students.
Robert Wayne
I would like to meet with those who have left the school system, find out why, and build on those issues. Additionally, I would share with them some positive changes that have occurred this school year.
An issue that we’ve always faced is funding two separate schools based on a student body number that supports only one. I would like to work with our local and state leaders to help bring more awareness to this matter.
A constant issue that most school systems face today is teacher recruitment and retention. I feel the best source of staffing for our future is the students in our classrooms today, therefore I would like to suggest a student-teacher mentoring program for the future.
There is no doubt sign-on bonuses and better pay will help. Our schools are the heart of the communities we live in and I’m a proud parent of two students that will work just as hard for yours as my own.
Hyde County Sheriff
Guire Cahoon, Democrat, incumbent: I have been serving the citizens of Hyde County in the capacity as a law enforcement officer for 15 years.
I started my career with the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office as deputy sheriff in 2007, then served as chief deputy until I was elected as sheriff in 2014.
Guire Cahoon
The qualities of being a good sheriff and public servant were instilled in me through my childhood and early adult years.
Growing up, the sheriff’s office was a place I was very familiar with since my grandfather, the late Charlie Cahoon, was the elected sheriff. For me, becoming sheriff has not only been a dream but a legacy. In my opinion it’s the greatest job in the world. I have always approached this position as a calling, and I do this because I truly want to help people. That is the greatest reward for me.
I take my oath of office very seriously, if re-elected, I will continue with the mission to protect and serve the residents of Hyde County by providing a strong, impartial law enforcement presence that incorporates integrity, professionalism, and compassion into the daily activities of the sheriff’s office.
I will continue with the strategies and training necessary to combat crime. This revolves around taking all the steps needed to improve a close-knit, working relationship with my fellow citizens, as I feel my office has done over the last eight years.
My deputies and I strive to have daily interaction with the community, to bond, to build those close relationships and get a better understanding of the needs and problems my office should be focused on.
It is my desire to continue to serve as sheriff of Hyde County. I have a heart to serve, and I take being a public servant very seriously because the people of Hyde County are whom I work for in my capacity as sheriff.
I remain committed, available, and supportive of all who reside in Hyde County. I am truly thankful for your confidence in me and my office over the last eight years and ask for your continued support in the upcoming election on Nov. 8.
Larry D. Weston, unaffiliated: My reason for running for Sheriff of Hyde County is because I believe we need a new law enforcement leader that’s going to enforce the law for everyone and not just for a few.
I retired April 7, 2021, from the North Carolina Department of Transportation with 25 years of service.
Larry Weston
I also held the positions of maintenance mechanic manager, spray painter, member of the DOT Hazmat Spill Response Team, member of the Shipyard Rescue Response Team, leader of Hazardous Waste Material Pick-up and Disposable. I’m a former supervisor of the inmates from Tyrell County Work Force.
I’ve been a volunteer fire fighter on the Engelhard Fire & Rescue and first responder with the rank of captain for approximately 18 years with five of those years and as a captain presently. Having served this county (my home sweet home) for 10 years as a deputy sheriff I not only have the experience in law enforcement, but I believe that I have something to contribute towards helping to build a stronger, more controlled, more diverse, and qualified police force for Hyde County.
I promise that if I’m elected as your sheriff, I will diligently build a police force with all deputies, including myself, and get better responsible training that will work on the drug problem that we have in Hyde County.
I will be a leader that will go out in the community and build a relationship with the citizens to find out their needs. I believe it’s important to have trust within the citizens you serve and not just when it’s election time or when something is wrong.
However, it’s my desire to see law enforcement in Hyde County become admired throughout the state of North Carolina for its diligence and devotion to honesty, fair pay, and reliability in the performance of our sworn duty and believe that we can do it together. Thank you, in advance for your vote.
Rena Grace Garrish Gaskill, 87, of Ocracoke, died Sunday, Oct. 23, at her home.
Grace Gaskill
Born Oct. 19, 1935, she was a daughter of the late Maude Williams Garrish and Uriah Wahab Garrish.
Grace was a member of Ocracoke United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women’s Group.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Thurston F. Gaskill; her son, David Fuller Gaskill; and her sister, Helen Brittina Helpinstill.
Grace is survived by her daughter, Rena Dell Garrish; two grandchildren, Crystal Brooke Wells and Alex Daniel Garrish; one great-grandchild, Griffin John Ivey Wells; and three siblings, Maude Ellen Ballance, Chloe Ann O’Neal, and Robert Charles Garrish.
A graveside memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Ocracoke Community Cemetery.
Twiford Funeral Homes, Outer Banks is assisting the family with arrangements.
Tuesday, Oct. 25 “The Annunciation,” a special performance of a selection from Jerusha Matsen Neal’s book “Blessed: Monologues for Mary.” The evening will include the viewing of several paintings from the 1400s to the 1800s inspired by The Annunciation in the Gospel of Luke, followed by a brief discussion. Admission is free, though donations will be accepted towards the seminary scholarship fund for Desirée Ricker. 6:30 pm, Ocracoke Community Center. Virtual viewing via Zoom and Facebook.
Wednesday, Oct. 26 Ocracoke Tourism Development Authority meets, 9 am, Community Center
Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board, Ocracoke Tourism Development Authority and the OCBA board meet, 3:30 pm, Community Center.
Ocracoke Advisory Planning Board meets, 5:30 pm, Community Center. Rescheduled for Nov. 10
Ocracoke Coffee Co: Team trivia, 6-8 pm
Thursday, Oct. 27 Early voting, 8 am to 5 pm, Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department
Bingo, Community Center, 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6.
Ocracoke Coffee Company: Brooke & Nick, 6-8 pm
Friday, Oct. 28 Early voting, 8 am to 5 pm, Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department
Kevin Duffus signs his book “Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate,” noon, Books to be Red
Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree begins in the Berkley Barn 6:30 pm music by the Motley Tones followed by the 1952 family movie “Blackbeard the Pirate,” 7 pm
Ocracoke School Homecoming
Middle School Boys Basketball scrimmage 5:30 pm Homecoming court, 6:15 p.m. High School Boys Basketball scrimmage, 7pm High School Volleyball ( High School team vs High School boys) ,7:45 pm Snacks will be sold for concessions.
Ocracoke Coffee Company: music by Daniel Bradley, 6-8 pm
The Breeze: Eli Craig Band, 9:30 pm
Saturday, Oct. 29 Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree continues. Berkley Manor grounds, 9 to 6 pm. See schedule below.
Drawing for the electric golf cart, raffled by WOVV 90.1 FM, at 3 p.m. and announced on air.
1718 Brewing Ocracoke Fifth-year Anniversary Party, 5:30 special oyster stout beer release; live music at 7 pm; costume contest 10 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Ocracoke Rockers, 7 pm
Eli Craig Band Halloween party & costume contest, 9:30 pm
The 45-year-old Ocracoke water tower is scheduled to be replaced in the next few years. Photo: P. Vankevich
By Peter Vankevich and Connie Leinbach
The Ocracoke Sanitary District (OSD) got good news this summer when it was awarded two grants to replace the island’s aged water tank.
The big-ticket, the Water Tower Replacement Project Grant, is for $5.6 million and will replace the 150,000-gallon water tank, built in 1977.
It will be installed next to the existing water tank, and no disruption in water service is expected with the transition.
Scott Bradley, chair of the OSD, said the final design and height has not yet been decided and that it will be researched by the engineering firm Municipal Engineering of Garner.
Because of Ocracoke’s harsh coastal environment, the new tank will be constructed with composite and concrete obviating the need for constant repainting.
Ocracoke’s water plant gets water via “reverse osmosis,” in which brackish water is pushed through a membrane to take out the salt.
To get the raw water, three wells extract it from the Castle Hayne Aquifer more than 600 feet underground. While the upper layers of this water lens contain fresh water, its lower depths contain brackish water from where the plant draws its water.
This grant will partner with Ocracoke’s Volunteer Fire Department to replace all 68 fire hydrants. Many are over 45 years old and are suffering from the salt air.
The second grant of $150,000 for Asset Inventory and Assessment will allow the OSD to inventory, map and assess the island’s 16 miles of water infrastructure.
It will allow the OSD to survey all 16 miles of pipe and inventory the areas of the island, such as West End Road, Central Drive and Bryant Lane, that do not have OSD water, and develop options. Homes in these areas have wells.
“We’ll look at these unserved areas and come up with a plan,” Bradley said, but added that it will just be a plan.
The OSD does not have the money to lay hundreds of feet of pipe in these areas. The residents would have to come up with the money themselves, he said.
Bradley explained that water lines were put in the island in the 1970s and at that time, the extant buildings hooked up to the system for a $30 fee.
Since then, however, due to various government regulations and financial viability, to connect into the system costs $5,100 plus whatever it costs to lay pipe to your house and then connect.
“Nobody’s gotten free water except the people back in the ’70s,” Bradley said.
A number of efforts have been made to get the Central Drive landowners together to pay for waterlines, as has happened on other private roads on the island.
“But the people didn’t want to participate,” he said.
Adding to the daunting price tag, especially at Bryant Lane, is that in order to lay pipe along Bryant Lane, they would have to drill across Lighthouse Road because the water lines are on the other side of it.
The price of just that would be about $20,000, he said, on top of then laying pipe down Bryant Lane.
The grants were approved by the State Water Infrastructure Authority and the funding source for these grants comes from the state’s allocation of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed in 2021.
By law, the ARPA money has to be spent by December 2026, but since the OSD has all the permitting needed, Bradley hopes the new tower will be in place before that. Construction contracts have to be in place by the end of 2024.
Ocracoke’s grant comes from the recent $789.4 million in grant and loan funding the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Infrastructure awarded to 385 drinking water and wastewater projects statewide, including 140 construction projects.
The DEQ outlay includes funds from the state budget, the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds, the State Reserve and the Viable Utility Reserve.
Bradley said the reverse osmosis plant serves 1,300 meters, half of which are year-round residents. In 2012, the OSD opened up 500 more connections to the existing system though not all have been used.
The water plant complex, which is managed by the OSD, is on National Park Service property, which has worked cooperatively for the new construction.
The water tank is a well-known sight for Ocracoke village. Seen from miles away, it a popular subject for photographs and as a roost for Great Horned Owls and Peregrine Falcons.
Heather Johnson, right, talks to Gov. Roy Cooper when he returned to Ocracoke on Sept. 23, 2019. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Connie Leinbach
What was it like to go through a devastating hurricane like Dorian that inundated Ocracoke Island three years ago?
The answers might be in a new book, “Ocracoke A.D.,” by Ann Ehringhaus and Heather Johnson.
That’s “After Dorian,” when islanders were mostly shell shocked and for months each day did little more than clean out and repair their flooded homes and businesses.
The two will host a book release at a book signing from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23, at Books to be Red.
The 50-page book, designed by the authors and Dawn and Tim Surratt of Henderson, features excerpts of Johnson’s “letters” and Ehringhaus’s photographs on the disaster — two artists’ responses.
“Some of us have to have an artistic response to anything,” Ehringhaus said, “and this was a big, big something.”
Johnson said that in the aftermath she tried to volunteer at the command center in the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, but it was too intense.
“It was too emotional to be there and see everyone just in distress,” Johnson said. “I have so much respect for the people who were able to be there day in and day out because I think I lasted two days and was like, nope, this is too hard. I have to find a different way.”
Ann Ehringhaus
While she then helped friends and family recover individually, she also began a Facebook diary.
“Every day was just so intense that it was helpful for me to process that,” she said. “And then I got a lot of really amazing feedback from people which encouraged me to keep doing it.”
Since the house she lives in is raised, Johnson’s experience of the floodwaters the morning of Sept. 6, 2019, was nothing compared to many in the village, including her own family members.
In those days, few islanders had time to sit down and reflect on the disaster.
“So, I know it was helpful for me to sit down every night and put it into words, and I think it was helpful for other people to see (that) they were having a similar experience,” she said.
Heather Johnson
But the two were having separate responses.
“She started writing, and I gradually began making pictures; no people, all landscapes,” Ehringhaus said. Ann also worked in the community kitchen in the Community Center serving meals.
As the two talked in the Dorian aftermath, they realized their work was complementary.
An Ocracoke native, Johnson wrote about the things that were lost – historic buildings and memories connected with them.
“For people who grew up here, there are so many memories that are connected with a particular porch or a house,” Ehringhaus said. “And when that’s not there, it’s really disorienting. We still have some trees and we’ve got some blooming plants, but a lot of stuff is gone.”
The photographs were edited to look like old glass plate images, with a sense of timelessness that seemed appropriate after the storm, she said.
But the places in Ehringhaus’s photos are not identified.
“We did not include the locations of the photos so that people can interact with them if they want to figure out where they were made,” she said.
The two hope the book shows how monumental Hurricane Dorian was to Ocracoke, the place in the United States that got hit the worst and for people to know how big Dorian was.
“We are offering our documentation of this life- changing event in Ocracoke history,” she said.
For so many people Ocracoke is such a fantasy, she said.
“Part of what we want to say in the book is that life is hard here,” she said. “It’s challenging. Everything here is weather dependent. It’s not how most people are living. The elements, nature — totally in charge all the time.”
After Hurricane Dorian departed the island Sept. 6, 2019, leaving flooded streets, islanders, such as Albert O’Neal and Brian Kissel, kicked into action. Photo: C. Leinbach
One islander dubbed the growing debris pile that was staged in the Lifeguard Beach parking lot “a mountain of memories.’ Photo: C. Leinbach
Hyde County Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Shaver, left, announces the $8.3 million facilities grant to the Hyde County Board of Commissioners.
Observer staff report
Hyde County Schools has been awarded $8.3 million to repair some of its Mattamuskeet facilities.
The award was announced at a special meeting Wednesday morning of the Hyde County commissioners and comes from the $300 million Needs Based Public School Capital Fund (NBPSCF) from the NC Department of Public Instruction, according to a press release from Hyde County Schools.
Hyde was one of nine schools statewide to receive money from this fund, which was established to assist counties with their critical public school building capital needs.
Grants from the NBPSCF are funded with revenue from the N.C. Education Lottery. Grants are available to eligible counties for construction of new school buildings and additions, repairs and renovations of existing school facilities.
Superintendent of Hyde County Schools Dr. Melanie Shaver explained the award to the commissioners, saying that the vision for these funds is to expand the Career and Technical Education Program capabilities in the Mattamuskeet School by creating the Hyde County Industrial Arts Center that will house a diesel shop, a welding shop, agricultural shop and carpentry and maintenance areas.
A food classroom that had not been used since sometime in the 1980s also will be refurbished, Shaver said.
The funds will also be used to replace a roof on the elementary building, work on the athletic facilities, and upgrade HVAC and ensure energy efficiency through lighting and window upgrades.
Because of the age of the buildings, the maintenance costs are high, Shaver said, and energy savings were written into the grant.
Mattamuskeet School, located on 44 acres on Highway 264, consists of buildings from the 1960s with the most recent addition being 2011.
The Needs Based Public School Capital Fund grants are applied for and awarded jointly through collaboration with the county commissioners and boards of education. No local matching funds were required for this grant, Hyde County Manager Kris Noble said.
Ocracoke School was not a part of this grant since the school is being rebuilt with an expected completion date of April, Shaver said.
“Renovations and additions to the Mattamuskeet School will not only restore the facility but add a new chapter to the story of the campus,” said Hyde County Manager Kris Noble.
She said the total grant amount is $8,329,228.
After the announcement at the meeting, Hyde Commissioner Benjamin Simmons III praised the collaboration between the county and the school system.
“This is great news,” he said, “and shows what working together can accomplish.”
Daniel Hogbin, a financial services planner of Martinsburg, West Virginia, will be on Ocracoke Thursday and Friday (Oct. 20 and 21) to share information about life insurance, annuities, health insurance, debt reduction and all kinds of insurance and investment strategies.
Daniel Hogbin
Hogbin, a frequent Ocracoke visitor who works under the umbrella group of Symmetry Financial Group, will hold free seminars at noon and 7 p.m. both days in suite 201 in the Silver Lake motel.
Hogbin said that while he is on the island, he will be looking to hire people if they are interested in selling insurance and investments.
For more information about Hogbin and his services, visit his website here.
Hyde 21st Century Community Learning Center Program will join the 23rd annual Lights On Afterschool celebration, a nationwide series of rallies for afterschool organized by the Afterschool Alliance, on Thursday, Oct. 20.
For the 16th consecutive year, the New York skyline will shine for afterschool on October 20 when the iconic Empire State Building is lit in yellow and blue to celebrate Lights On Afterschool.
This year, the Ocracoke skyline will also shine with the lighting of the Ocracoke Lighthouse.
The Lights On Afterschool event, starting at 5 p.m. in the Ocracoke School elementary building, will feature afterschool students and their families participating in a literacy and arts event, demonstrations representative of their daily afterschool curriculum. Families will enjoy pizza together, then walk to the Ocracoke Lighthouse to see the “lighting of the lighthouse.”
Event partners include the National Park Service and local arts organization Ocracoke Alive. Parents, educators and community members.
Millions of Americans have participated in Lights On Afterschool events over the years, and thousands of events are in the works this year.
The events give youth a chance to showcase the skills they learn and talents they develop at their afterschool programs, and to send the message that millions more children and youth need quality afterschool programs. (A growing list of events isavailable here.)
The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On Afterschool to underscore the need to invest in afterschool programs, which provide homework help; mentors; healthy snacks and meals; opportunities to think critically, collaborate and communicate with peers and adults; sports and fitness activities; robotics and other STEM activities; art; and continuous opportunities for hands- on, team-based learning.
The Hyde 21st Century Community Learning Center began in 2010 with a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant. It now serves up to 200 children, providing homework assistance, literacy, math and science tutoring, and clubs in robotics, radio broadcasting, drama, sports, reading, healthy eating, chess and other subjects.
Nancy Leach, Hyde 21st CCLC program director, is one of just 17 afterschool leaders named this year to serve as an Afterschool Ambassador, chosen by the Afterschool Alliance – a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs.
